First of all, I give this film 5/10 because I don't want to break it down to the ground. Too much of my disapointment is to blame for the misleading packaging of DFW, the Dutch Blu-ray distributor. The cover of the Blu-ray shows a gray photo of cops with pistols ready to fire. On the back there is THRILLER in orange, thick letters.
Although Felony starts the action in the middle with a shooting, that a cop survives only thanks to his bulletproof vest, the film comes to a complete standstill just a little later. The cop who survived the shooting gets behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol. He hits a boy on a bicycle. An old colleague removes the burden of proof and the drunk cop is suddenly instead of a drunk perpetrator, a hero. But his conscience will not let him go.
I really felt sorry for the boy and his mother, for me this was the highlight of the movie. Nice filming! The acting was also all very neat. Also nice that we once saw Melissa George as a brunette, less fun that her role is too small. And actually we can say the same about Tom Wilkinson's role: too small for the actor's talent.
And so I come to the major pain point of this film: too little happens. And I don't mean that there is too little blood, that there are too few bullets flying around or that there is not enough fist fighting. For the action thriller that DFW would have liked to sell so badly, this would certainly have been necessary. But even for a drama there is too little tension, too little confrontation between the characters.
No, we see a lot, a lot of internal struggles with the drunken cop's guilt, and the junior police inspector's struggle for justice. And then there is the senior police detective who mainly thinks about the good reputation of his department. Fascinating, even realistic. But the long-awaited big showdown between the police officers is a disappointment.
Had turned Tom Wilkinson into a real villain, turned Joel Edgerton and Jai Courtney into two true martyrs, and given Melissa George a role worthy of her talent. And a big showdown between these characters, with a lot of violence and tension. Then I would have liked to give this film 10/10. But unfortunately...
Although Felony starts the action in the middle with a shooting, that a cop survives only thanks to his bulletproof vest, the film comes to a complete standstill just a little later. The cop who survived the shooting gets behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol. He hits a boy on a bicycle. An old colleague removes the burden of proof and the drunk cop is suddenly instead of a drunk perpetrator, a hero. But his conscience will not let him go.
I really felt sorry for the boy and his mother, for me this was the highlight of the movie. Nice filming! The acting was also all very neat. Also nice that we once saw Melissa George as a brunette, less fun that her role is too small. And actually we can say the same about Tom Wilkinson's role: too small for the actor's talent.
And so I come to the major pain point of this film: too little happens. And I don't mean that there is too little blood, that there are too few bullets flying around or that there is not enough fist fighting. For the action thriller that DFW would have liked to sell so badly, this would certainly have been necessary. But even for a drama there is too little tension, too little confrontation between the characters.
No, we see a lot, a lot of internal struggles with the drunken cop's guilt, and the junior police inspector's struggle for justice. And then there is the senior police detective who mainly thinks about the good reputation of his department. Fascinating, even realistic. But the long-awaited big showdown between the police officers is a disappointment.
Had turned Tom Wilkinson into a real villain, turned Joel Edgerton and Jai Courtney into two true martyrs, and given Melissa George a role worthy of her talent. And a big showdown between these characters, with a lot of violence and tension. Then I would have liked to give this film 10/10. But unfortunately...